Convicted sex offender nabbed while setting up for party at Limestone County home

LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) - A convicted sex offender was busted in Limestone County after an off-duty investigator with the sheriff’s office said they caught him setting up inflatables for a party at a family’s home.

Convicted sex offender nabbed while setting up for party at Limestone County home

Court documents state that the sex offender “was working for a party rental company and was at the home putting up equipment around children.”

James Bingham Jr., 61, popped up on investigators’ radar a few weeks ago when the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office came across some posts online that caught their attention.

“Earlier this month, investigators saw posts on social media that Mr. Bingham was working for a company for party rentals in a capacity where he could be around children at events,” said deputy Stephen Young, public information officer for the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.

((Source: WAFF))

Bingham is listed on the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s sex offender registry as being convicted of sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl in Limestone County in December 2009.

While investigators were not able to establish probable cause from the social media posts to obtain a warrant on Bingham, a new development happened last week. The agency’s primary sex offender investigator, who was off duty at the time, spotted Bingham at a house on Oakdale Road, south of Ardmore, where he helping put up an inflatable slide.

James Bingham was reportedly caught helping at a children's party on Oakdale Road. ((Source: WAFF))

“Our sex offender investigator actually observed Bingham at a residence with inflatables while he was on his way passing by, off duty. He stopped his truck and just decided at that point, that he was going to arrest him and get him off the street,” Young stated

Bingham is registered to live and work in Limestone County, according to the sheriff’s office. The state’s sex offender registry lists an address in Madison County.

He’s a mechanic at Young Tractor on Highway 251, but the sheriff’s office states he was not authorized to do anything with the inflatable rentals the owners of Young Tractor also do. He was only registered to work at Young Tractor, not for their entertainment company. On Monday, the owners said they had no comment.

James Bingham works at Young Tractor on Highway 251. ((Source: WAFF))

Bingham faces new charges in Limestone County. Court records show that has had several violations over the years for not updating authorities on a change of address and jobs.

He had previously been arrested in 2015 when he failed to notify authorities that he had changed jobs.

The sheriff’s office states Bingham was in direct violation of the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, which prohibits him from working in a capacity that puts him around children.

Young said the actions of the off-duty investigator, “exemplifies the commitment of law enforcement in general to protect the community whether they’re on the clock or off.”

“There have been a lot of instances where investigators and deputies have stopped and taken action off duty and this is one of those cases where there’s no hourly or daily schedule on making sure that our kids in our community are safe,” he added.